CHAPTER 23
Blood.
In the sunlight it shone deep red. Now it appeared black.
The Killer waded into the dark pool and lowered the
The petroglyph settled into place, sinking a good four inches in the pool’s sticky liquid. Enamored by the sight, the Killer caressed the ancient writing on its surface, carved symbols that had taken almost two days to recreate.
Not far away, hidden within the old cemetery, Kane’s corpse waited.
The Killer grinned.
The preparations were finished. Only one thing left to do.
Get Mallory.
Tim sat in silence on the bench next to Mallory while she talked with her friends. He held the plate of cold funnel cake in one hand and his drink in the other, trying not to notice how Mallory ogled the boy named Derrick.
The guy looked seventeen, maybe older, dressed in a plain white tank top and faded over-sized pants. He’d dyed his hair bright yellow and wore it stylishly spiked, whereas the skin on his face looked smoother than ice. When Mallory finally made a round of introductions, she’d spoken his name with a certain melody in her voice Tim hadn’t heard before.
She was commenting on the solid gold earring in Derrick’s left ear when one of the other girls, Elsa, spoke up. “What happened to the one with the massive diamond in it?”
“That was for Wendy,” he said. He looked to Mallory with a downhearted sulk on his face. “Wendy was my girlfriend. Since we broke up, I just couldn’t keep wearing it, you know? A diamond is like the perfect gem, unbreakable, and it was meant to represent our perfect love. But when I found out she was cheating on me, it totally shattered my heart.”
Tim looked away.
“That’s tough,” Mallory said.
“Poor guy,” Elsa cooed, stroking his arm in a gesture of sympathy.
Derrick kept his eyes locked on Mallory, who remained enthralled by his gaze.
Eager for a distraction, Tim got up and used the excuse of throwing out the uneaten food as way to get away the group for a moment. He spotted The Wild Thing in the distance, the park’s largest roller coaster, and had the immediate compulsion to go and throw himself on the tracks instead of spending another second listening to Derrick.
He knew what was happening.
And he knew there was no way to stop it. Whatever spark ignited between them under the roller coaster had obviously burnt out, leaving him cold.
When he returned to the group, Mallory and her friends decided to move on. They strolled along the thoroughfare, talking, laughing, passing up rides he and Mallory had planned to hit before leaving.
Mallory didn’t even notice.
She stuck close to Becky now rather than Tim. The two girls huddled together as they walked, whispering back and forth, giggling secretively at times, howling with laughter at others.
Ironically, when they did choose an attraction, they chose Enterprise.
This time, Tim rode alone. Mallory went with Derrick.
After the large spinning disk—now gleaming in yellow, red, and white neon—came to a halt, he let himself out of his solitary gondola and made his way to the exit. There, Mallory and her friends regrouped, laughing and hooting about something he hadn’t heard enough of to comprehend. He lagged behind while they made their way to the next ride, once again taking grim notice of how Mallory always hovered near Derrick, swaying in his presence like a fragile flower in submission to a blustery wind.
After Enterprise, Mallory began whispering with Derrick instead of Becky, pairing with him more and more until they became inseparable. Tim tried to regain her interest, joking like he had before, but either his wisecracks weren’t funny enough, or no one understood the humor. He even tried joining in on her friend’s talks, but all their conversations centered on events at a high school he’d never attended, or past get-togethers with people he’d never known at places he’d never been. Eventually he gave up and just dragged along, waiting to go home.
Torture.
Not soon after Mallory and Derrick began riding together, Tim saw them come off the Tilt-a-Whirl and walk down the exit ramp with their pinky fingers interlocked, an innocent little gesture that soon evolved into handholding. After that, sitting several seats behind them on The Looping Starship, his mood had taken an even sharper plunge when they leaned together and kissed.
Tim recalled the silken feel of her lips when they kissed under The High Roller
Now he made sure to keep his distance, staying to the back of the group while Mallory and Derrick walked side by side ahead of him. They chatted with their friends, oblivious of his absence, and it took all of his might not to stare at how Derrick kept his arm wrapped snug around Mallory’s waist.
“So, what now?” one of the nameless friends of Derrick said. “This is getting old.”
“I’m having a great time,” Lisa countered.
“Yeah, me too, you party-pooper,” Becky said.
“No shit,” added Elsa. “Who only comes here for a few hours? We’ve got all night.”
The guy made a sarcastic mimic of their remarks, then turned to Derrick for support. “Come on, dude, we should be on the road by now.”
Lisa fixed the older boys with a suspicious gaze. “What’s so secret?”
Derrick grinned, eyeing the first kid. “There’s a rave out in Norwood tonight. Troy works at SuperValue, and he managed to snatch a couple of dented-up cases of beer from storage. I guess he figures forty-eight cans should be enough to get him laid, but I doubt it.”
Adam cheered. “All right! Where’s the party?”
“Eat me,” Troy replied. “Who invited you?”
“You did,” Elsa said. “Or would you like your boss to find out where the beer went?”
Troy’s jaw clenched.
Derrick laughed. “Cruel, Elsie. I like it.” Looking to Mallory, he asked, “What do you say, want to go with us? There’s supposed to be some kick-ass bands.”
Tim glanced to Mallory and smiled inwardly at the doubtful look on her face.
“I don’t really drink that much,” she told him.
“Me, either,” Becky added, “but we could still hang out.”
Derrick jostled Mallory gently with the arm around her waist. “Nobody said you have to drink anything. Let them get smashed. We can just talk, get to know each other better.”
To Tim’s dismay, she seemed pleased with the idea.
“Tim and I are supposed to get picked up at eleven-thirty, so I’ll have to call my dad first.”
“That’s cool.”
“What do you think, Tim?” Mallory asked.
Without enough courage to voice his desire to leave them all and go home, he shrugged noncommittally, and they took it as a yes.
Derrick produced an iPhone with the smooth gesture of a stage magician and handed it to Mallory.
